LEGAL:
As bak-rak goes on the road, there’s some important things you need to know:
Lighting
Lighting regulations regarding trailers also apply to bak-rak products.
These are:
- Two red sidelights.
- Two red stoplights.
- Two red reflective
- triangles.
- An illuminated number plate.
- Amber indicators (designed to flash between 60-120 times per minute).
- Some form of letting the driver know trailer indicators are working correctly such as a buzzer or light.
- White front reflectors.
If your rak and load is wider than 1.3m, you also need at least one red fog lamp.
If you need a bracket to attach your light bar, we can help: CLICK HERE
Engineering Standards
Bak-rak towball mounting products are not in a category of product eligible for any existing Engineering Standard.
However, all Bak-Rak towball mounting products have been designed to exceed UK and EU standards for distantly related products where they exist.
In general ,all Bak-Rak products are designed to achieve a loading Factor of Safety of at least 5G – where most standards only specify 3G.
Testing to these loading levels has been carried out by Lloyds British at their Birmingham test unit.
VEHICLE LOAD LIMITATIONS
Every vehicle and towbar in the UK (and most other countries) has a manufacturer-specified maximum noseweight — a number set after testing to ensure safe performance.
What the law says
While there isn’t a specific “noseweight law” written as a separate rule, the requirement to stay within the manufacturer’s stated limits comes from wider road safety and vehicle construction laws.
In short:
- You must not exceed the limits for loading that are set by the vehicle or towbar manufacturer.
- An overloaded towbar, or an unstable trailer caused by improper loading, can be considered a vehicle in a dangerous condition — which is an offence under road traffic law.
- Remember to take into consideration the weight of the rack/adaptor being used as well as the items being carried.
If stopped by police or involved in an accident, exceeding these limits can lead to:
- Fines or penalty points
- Invalidated insurance (because the car was used outside manufacturer specs)
- Increased liability if your setup caused harm or damage.